Engineers from the University of Rochester have produced a new shape-changing polymer that rapidly responds to body heat. This remarkable new mighty morphing material can lift objects up to 1,000 times its own mass. Although shape-changing polymers are not new, this novel material is able to respond dynamically to body heat. It retains its solid form until it’s exposed to a temperature of around 35°C (95°F). The researchers worked out that by adding molecular linkers – miniature struts that do not crystallise – to the individual chains, they inhibit, but not prevent, crystallisation in the material. By tinkering with the material in this way, the team managed to add just enough inhibiting linkers to make body temperature the precise threshold for crystallisation. As this material can be both flexible and rigid around a human body, it could be used in a range of medical science applications, including in the creation of artificial skin.